Prep Football: Rockford Lutheran’s offensive diversity key to success

GENESEO — Rockford Lutheran turned into a powerhouse this season, both in the Big Northern Conference, and in the state.

Now the Crusaders (11-1) find themselves in the Class 4A state semifinals, where they will face a difficult hurdle at Geneseo (11-1) 1 p.m. Saturday.

And, while they paved the way without him, they now feel like they’re a better team than ever with wide receiver Nate Wieting back on the field. Wieting damaged his ankle when it was rolled on in the season opener, and he sat on the sidelines until late in the regular season.

Now he’s back, helping Lutheran win more playoff games in one season (three so far) than in the rest of the school’s history (two) and he wants to take things to another level by helping the Crusaders get to the state title game.

“I knew we had a good team from the start, and I’ve just watched them get better and better every week. Without me, though,” said Wieting, who was an all-conference wide receiver last year. “Now that I’m back, I want to do everything I can to help them win — now. And this week, jeez, we all know there’s a lot riding on this. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime chance.”

Wieting has hauled 21 receptions for 240 yards, most of which came in the team’s three playoff wins. While he was gone, Zach Zanello (455 yards receiving and 2 TDs) and Austin Sikora (331 yards and 4 TDs), as well as running back James Robinson (341 yards and 6 TDs), helped keep the passing attack churning.

But the star has been Robinson. His 2,469 yards and 43 rushing touchdowns has led teams to stack the box. But then again, a lot of teams have learned the hard way that quarterback Kendall Lawson — and his receiving corps that now includes Wieting — can do the job, too.

Lawson is third in the area with 1,903 passing yards with 18 TDs and nine interceptions.

After losing to Winnebago in Week 4, the Crusaders have rolled. They have also found a way to pull out tight victories, rallying a 33-28 late-season win over Stillman Valley and a 27-22 playoff win over Rochelle and 28-24 over Harvard last week when they scored two late touchdowns with Robinson sidelined by cramps and a sprained ankle.

“Obviously, Robinson is a great player, and he’s the guy that makes that offense go,” Geneseo coach Larry Johnsen Jr. said. He then quickly added: “But I also think that quarterback does a great job in that spread offense, too. They can do it all, that’s for sure.”

Geneseo, which has a run-oriented offense, rolled over Chicago Phillips 41-7 last weekend in the 4A quarterfinals, grabbing a 41-0 lead at halftime during a driving rain to start a running clock. The Leafs have a three-way rushing attack with running backs Rayce Singbush and Lane Akre and third-year starting quarterback Luke Snyder, and are prone to run the ball early and often — though they have taken early leads, and not had to throw, a lot this year.

They don’t expect that to happen this year. Neither does Lutheran head coach Bruce Bazsali.

“We’re still proving some things to some people, but this team feels like a team of destiny a little bit,” Bazsali said. “And with James doing his thing, Kendall leading that passing attack, and Nate back in the mix, these guys really have a lot of confidence right now.